Battle against political Islam will continue for years: Gaber Nassar

Sep. 19, 2013 18:13

Gaber Nassar

By: NORA FAKHRY

The state’s battle against political Islam will continue for years to come, says Gaber Nassar, professor of constitutional law and rapporteur of the 50-member committee tasked with amending Egypt’s 2012 constitution.

“The state should not back down in the face of this rising trend but should remain alert,” Nassar said at a dinner organized by the Egyptian Diplomatic Club, Cairo, on Sunday.

Nassar also responded to criticism from political activist Mamdouh Hamza at the dinner.

Hamza, an engineering consultant, had slammed the 60-day period set to amend the constitution for being too short, saying “this period has nothing to do with reality.”

“The committee should work no less than two years, during which we run by a constitutional declaration, and we should have about 1000 hearings,” said Hamza.

Defending the work of the committee, Nassar said, “We have a fragile political situation here, and we are exposed to lots of crises. So we need to get out of this fragile situation as soon as possible. Completing the constitution will be a significant patriotic step.”

“Constitutional stability is not a matter to delay,” he added. “The committee hopes to finalize a constitution that achieves social justice and the aspirations of all Egyptians,” Nassar added.